Everyone's a critic.

Actually, I think it's more like, "Everyone's a critic who thinks they're the word of god." Lately, a good amount of stress for me is trying to get myself to think a certain way.

Now, I already said my piece in regards to Force Awakens (and that entry does go into Force Awakens spoiler territory if you haven't read said entry before). It's just that every time I go into something where that movie comes up (comment section, Youtube video, etc), it seems like it's still raved about like the greatest thing ever! In fact, it's going to come off like this. If James Cameron rehashes Dances with Wolves, he's considered a has been hack of a director. If J.J. Abrams rehashes A New Hope (and in the same franchise), he's considered a genius! That still frustrates me because I still feel like I'm in the minority in regards to that movie not being the most amazing thing ever.

Yet, that's just one thing that goes into what I'm wanting get off my chest here.

Back in the early 2000s, I did get myself into Tales where it was 3 main games & a spin-off to its name (Pretty much, before Tales of Symphonia). Around the time I played Tales of Eternia the first time, I would end up playing Final Fantasy X also. I ended up not liking it. In fact, I hated it so much that it made me turn my back on the series. Time has passed and, while I'm not as big of a Final Fantasy fan as I used to be, I don't hate the series anymore. I'll even say that I ended up buying Final Fantasy XIII and I didn't hate it. Only thing was...that ended up becoming the most hated installment in the series. On the other hand, a playthrough of Final Fantasy IX (which has been treated as "Best FF game ever") has got me to see it as a good game, but I'm not in love with it like I was back then (and according to my friend, I apparently hated FFX because it wasn't FFIX *sigh*).

On the Tales side, I ended up getting more into Tales after playing Tales of Eternia as my second installment (2 years has passed since I played Tales of Destiny). I had some struggles with Tales of Symphonia since it ended up getting more attention, which wasn't something I was used to (not to mention, I just think the game was good but not the greatest game ever status. Even if it has ended up as one my easily replayable games). But when it came to Tales of Legendia later, everyone was hating it while I ended up liking it. On the other hand, Tales of the Abyss comes out not long after that one and I ended up not liking it while everyone else calls it amazing. Years passed & revisiting Tales of Legendia, I ended up finding it pretty lacking (and I mean it was pretty mediocre) while also starting to find Abyss merely okay. Only thing was, I'm now feeling like everyone loves Legendia (especially its story & character development) & Abyss was something people are criticizing. Onto Tales of Vesperia, at its release, I loved it. These days, I now find myself having to be harder on it because I feel like, while everyone is giving crap towards Tales of Graces, Tales of Xillia (and its sequels), and (especially) Tales of Zestiria. I was fine with Tales of Graces' battle system but the story did feel phoned in, while I didn't really care much for the two Xillia games (though I am wanting to go back & play the first one). It's because I actually ended up liking Tales of Zestiria that gave me a problem.

Me liking Final Fantasy XIII & Tales of Zestiria (and some less that great thoughts on Force Awakens) ends up bringing up one problem. The idea that I wouldn't know what's good or bad, even if it slaps me in the face, punch me in the stomach, or kick me in the groin.

There has been discussions where I feel like people are telling me that I should be able to see & admit there are these problems. I never seem to be able to explain these things where I think otherwise since I have to show I'm not missing anything and prove that, well, I'm not an idiot. I feel like I have to write one big essay about anything where I say something that goes against the majority. Maybe these are just people who think their view is the word of God.

In the long run, I just constantly feel like I'm missing something just because I seem like I enjoy something so easily, or that I unconsciously go against the grain (I feel like it liking Tales of Zestiria & the fact that I'm not seeing Star Wars: The Force Awakens as amazing as everyone else is). But that's not the end of the whole criticism frustration.

I actually got into a feud with a friend some time ago. I ended up talking like an "objective critic". He ended up having to get into my head about how, "Good & bad is subjective", even when a game is full of glitchy programming, bugs, etc. I even try to bring up the idea that the Harry Potter books were poorly written. He responds with, "They're children's book! Did you really expect higher class writing!" He even goes as far as reminding me how he unironically loves that so-called awful Ghostbusters NES game. I even asked him to explain why and was able to do so (though I probably should have grilled him more on the common complaint about said game. Oh, I have a way to bring those points up with him). What does he expect me to do? Tell those people the stuff he's been telling me about how, "Good or bad is subjective." I still think I'm bound to be chewed out pretty hard if I say that. I mean, I talk with nerds! The kinds that expect me to use my head properly & not be such an idiot! I'm supposed to be a nerd too but I certainly don't act like one! Then again he tries to bend the standards to make me sound like I am really that smart. I meant, well rounded smarts, not just one damn topic!

For the past 10 years, I ended up going by the idea that there is such a thing as "objective reviews" & had to live by those ideas. Then he ends up trying to get the whole, "Good & bad is subjective" into my head harder. It has gotten me exhausted with ideas clashing in my head of critics being subjective or actually objective. All this has been going through my head. It has brought me down if I say so myself.

(In case you're wondering, my mind has been drifting into what my friend was pretty much hammering into my head)---Extensive P.S. If you want me to get very critical towards the Tales series, I'll say this:

Tales is not in any decline. It has always ended up as that series that seems so happy with being average & nothing special. Are you really that surprised that Tales of Zestiria wasn't all that great? I'm been realizing Tales of Vesperia wasn't all that great & was pretty much average too! I'm not wearing any fanboy gloves! They are off right now! You know when a certain game site listed Tales at #9 on a list of series that deserves to die? They said how Graces had dull characters, Xillia was cliché, & Zestiria was more of the same? Right, as if Symphonia & Vesperia weren't as cliché as the rest of the series. Oh and believe me, I was in the, "I'm not above criticizing Tales" mindset when I saw that & I still felt annoyed by it due to "I'm seeing the same thing you're complaining about in the two highlighted great Tales games (Symphonia & Vesperia)." (Yeah, I just turned into the Word of God people I'm ranting about! Maybe this is also what you call, "Overthinking".)

One more thing: I have been replaying Tales of Vesperia. It's feeling harmless right now. Though even if I'm not finding the story the greatest thing ever, I still intend to try to come up with a reason that its third act is good.